Lemon and Poppy Loaf

I LOVE butter, milk, eggs and chocolate!!!
I love all of those ‘be careful with’ food. And… I used to eat them, a lot actually.

Despite I try to make wheat-less, egg-less, chocolate-less and milk-less food, simply because I can’t eat those but I crave for a good cake once in a while, I do envy all of you who can have a good piece of cheese with a glass of wine, a great milky ice cream or a rich chocolate cake!!
I may not eat, but I do make them and I guess there is nothing better than a good buttery classic recipe for a cake.
I bake those quite often… for clients, family or friends… and I enjoy its fragrance, texture and smile it puts on the face of all of those who eat them!!!

Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Grease and line the bottom and sides of a loaf tin with greaseproof paper.
Using an electric whisk, beat the butter with the caster sugar until light and creamy. Add the eggs one by one, beating each in well. Fold in your ground almonds, poppy seeds, the lemon zest, juice and the sifted flour. Spoon the mix into the prepared cake tin and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes or until lightly golden. You can check to see if the cake is cooked by poking a cocktail stick right into the sponge.
Make your lemon syrup by heating the sugar and lemon juice in a pan until the sugar has dissolved. While your cake is still warm, pour your syrup over. Remove it after 15 minutes. Allow the cake to cool on a rack.
To make your icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add the lemon zest and juice, stirring until smooth. When your cake is almost cool, put it on a serving plate and pour the icing carefully over the top.